Daily Republican., 1887-03-08
HIS LITTLE sIsrER.

Wnlcn " the enc 0reom0ng: "ApprOye6
Jefferson Davis, President" ...,.s
You see. my command NAs shon IL
Virginia, and It WAS war times OF q Ger.
tAipty. We Oonfederates were hard
pushed on all sides, having little to esi
end less to wear. and It did seem as II .
night had got to be matter Of daily oc
cufrence. We were philosophers enou Oh
u endure what We could NO. cure, but
the young men and especially the chsps
who had been oonscripted, were te RIB, '
uneasy. They were ready to give it up
- lost cause, and start for home.
Well, this feeling. coupled with star.
yAtion IAtions, ragged uniforms and
daily lighting, sent good many OF our
boys over TO the Union lines a. deserh Il
and this brings about my story.
One OF the conscripts In my company
was boy OF IL years, named Joe WI.
son. All us fellows cf 30 or ther,
abouis felt like father to him. Aside
from bis youth he was pO0r and pale,
with NO march or fght in him. Bless
you'll but the idea OF little Joey Wilson
helping TO breast back . Yankee line Of
battle would have set Us all in q roar
He oushtto have hsen ., home WITH
his ma, and none OF us felt auyth ing
but pity for him.
One night, after the desertions had
gone on aud become 80 numerous thai
the big Officers had to take motto, of
them, trap was set. and lol our poor
little Joe fell into It. Yes sir-nAbbsd
"in the act Of deserving TO the enemy .
and maybe you know what that siRnt.
fes, especially when that enemy isn't a
cannon shot away?
a o,uVnriaa 70 th~t A.
had plucked up co6sAge enough to
make . break, but / reckon he was
desperately sick OF war, and hoped in
some manner to get back to his homs.
II was determined to make an exam
pie OF little Joey, and guess Is WASH i
over ten days before he was convicted, ,
the sentence approved ct Richmond
and an order read that he was to be
shot ut o certain hour. suppose it
Was al quite proper and according to
army regulations, but 1t must have
gone hard with the men ON that court
martial to convict him. Had he been
guilty Of murder could not have
aided to bring In . verdict against him
Nobody had seemed to know or care
whether he had relatives or rot, and 60
our surprise was great, TO learn on the
day before he was to be shot, that q Sis
ter Had arrived in camp 70 plead Tor
little Joe's life.
1t was too late. She had been denied
by the president, and of course mob ody
in the field had any authority to stop
the execution. She was in camp all
day long, and most Of MS got chance
to see her. II should tell you that she
was the brightest, chippiest, smArteet
girl Of nineteen ever saw, 1 would
only be telling you the truth. She was
exactly like Joe In looks, except q few
points handsomer, and she had his size
and walk and ways.
tell you, comrades, when I saw
that girl-I believe her name was Nell
|-breaking down under the bad news
and realizing her helplessness. I'd have
been willing to let them shoot me In
Joe's stead! Indeed. would, though
l say 1t 30 long after. just wanted te
lay my hand on her curly head and
say
any more! I'm all alone in the worlc
and nobody IL miss me, and I'm goinf
to take Joe's place"
However, that couldn't be done
Joseph Wilson was the deserter, and
Joseph Wilson must be shot to death at
the penalty.
While the big officers couldn't prom
ise anything they did grant favor
Sic asked for an hours visit with hel
br th {, ard they gave 1t to her. We
haa nim shut up In the granery OF 6
barn, and on that very morning wa.
given six men and told to guard hin
till he was wanted for execution. L
Was thus that the girl came to mo with
Q bit Of paper, on which was written:
"Pass Nellie Wilson to see the pris
oner for one hour. Sec that she carrie
| no weapons.
1t was signed al straight, and couli
not question her right. was directed
to zee that she had no weapons hidder
away, but Lord save you! do you thini
even referred to such thing? No
sirl When che looked up into my fac Q
her eyes full OF tears. and her hear
beating like that Of wounded bird,
says to her, says L.
"Go right in, my dear, and may Goo
bless you for what you have tried t.
doi'
Well, now, in about twenty minutes
after she had passed in, what should
enter my head but an idea which lifted
my heels clean off the floor. If tha
girl was al smart as l took her to be
she had a plan to carry out. What
Why, to change clothes with joey ant
send him out In her place That wa
the idea, comrades, and for about fv'
minutes could not make up my min(
what to do. l figured 1t out by.and by
however.
Under one pretense and another go
l ho hpt nd no IL , NJ
from the door, hung the lantern up E(
as to throw o shadow where / wanted
1t, and while waiting for the girl to re.
Jim, that girl must fe=l jus
lawfully"
"Sartin che does" he ans Hered.
"Poor thing, but hope none Of III
may seem to gaze at her too stout. Sht
might reckon we had no hearts"
/ tell you the last twenty minutes
was whole week to me, ard 1 had I,
keep mopping the sweat off my face
At last there was knock on the doc
and let her out. 1 just felt In m.
bones that 1t was little Joe, and SO
says. says l.
"Well, child, Pm sorry for you, ant
please don't think any u Us here are t,
blame"
With that hurried her out as fast D
could, and then had to sit down TO
1.-The weakness in my knees.
Next morning-whst! Just as tolt
Iyou. When they opened the door c,
lead Joe to his death, they discovered
his sister In his place, and she was jus
,cute enough to smile at them at that
joey had been gone for hours and wa
safe inside the Yankee lines.
Shoot her? Oh, no. They had to lie
her 60, and 1t was such o smart tricl
that the big officers didn't want !
talked about too much. NJ? Wei
they did start to do something or other
but Grant made a move jast in the nicl
Iof time to bust up all proceedings, ant